


Hatred

by Smokestarrules



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen, I was digging around in my old ideas and found this like 3-quarters finished, bc unfortunately my boi doesn't make it through the whole canon does he, riip, so I thought I'd finish and post it, the major character death is mello
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24245242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokestarrules/pseuds/Smokestarrules
Summary: One is tall and white-haired. He has a mustache and is wearing a formal suit. The other man is who scares Mihael. Because he looks more creature than man. He sits hunched over with his knees pulled up into his chest and stares unabashedly at Mihael with large unnerving eyes. His hair is long and spiked, black bangs falling into his eyes. Interestingly enough, he isn’t wearing shoes.Officer Starf gives Mihael a gentle smile before leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Mihael suddenly feels like he’s trapped.
Relationships: L & Mello | Mihael Keehl
Kudos: 8





	Hatred

_Hatred_

When Mihael is five years old, both his parents are killed in a freak car accident. They both nearly get decapitated from the windshield, and are dead instantly. Mihael, crying from the backseat, doesn’t get a scratch. A miracle, the police say. The only part Mihael actually remembers is when someone had unhooked him from the carseat and, immediately, he had punched the man so squarely in the gut that the man had had to double over.

Two days later he’s still at the police station. He hasn’t spoken, except to scream at people. He doesn’t know where he’s going to live; he has no other family. “Mihael?” It’s Officer Starf who’s talking, he recognizes vaguely. She’s nice. “There’s some people here to see you.”

Mihael blinks at her and stands up from the uncomfortable chair. He lets her lead him into another room - the one he eats in - and inside are two men. 

One is tall and white-haired. He has a mustache and is wearing a formal suit. The other man is who scares Mihael. Because he looks more  _ creature  _ than man. He sits hunched over with his knees pulled up into his chest and stares unabashedly at Mihael with large unnerving eyes. His hair is long and spiked, black bangs falling into his eyes. Interestingly enough, he isn’t wearing shoes. 

Officer Starf gives Mihael a gentle smile before leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Mihael suddenly feels like he’s trapped. 

The older man is who steps forward. “Hello,” he says in a kind tone. “My name is Watari. I run an orphanage, and I am here to ask if you would like to attend it. What’s your name?”

Mihael can’t help but keep his eyes on the creature behind the kind man as he responds, “I’m Mihael.” 

Watari kneels down to get his attention. Mihael listens as he describes his school, which is a school  _ only  _ for the smartest of children. He thinks Mihael might be a good student there. Mihael doesn’t know. If there are more people like the  _ thing  _ behind Watari, he almost doesn’t want to go.

But where else can he? He’s going to be sent to an orphanage soon anyways. Isn’t it better if he goes to one who specifically requested him?

So Mihael swallows his fear and stares down the thing in the back of the room. He will  _ not  _ be intimidated by it. “I’ll come.”

Watari hums in acknowledgement before turning to the creature. “What do you think?”

The creature studies Mihael with lazy eyes, and Mihael curls his lip at it. “Too emotional,” it says, after a moment. “But we can fix that. I like him.”

Watari looks back at Michael. “This is L,” he says. “He’s the greatest detective of all time. He grew up in my orphanage, too. He’s what you’ll aspire to be like.”

Mihael hadn’t said two words to the creature with the black hair, but he  _ despises  _ it. He will  _ never  _ want to be like it. “Okay,” he responds anyway. “Sure.” 

The two then take their leave, but after L has gone, Watari hangs back for a second. “I’ll be starting on the papers tonight, but it will take a little while before they are finished. Are you alright staying here for a few more days?”

Mihael shrugs. He doesn’t care. Watari’s eyes soften behind the glasses, and he reaches into his pocket to pull something out. It crinkles.

He hands it to Mihael. It’s a chocolate bar. 

Watari gives him a smile. “I’ll see you soon, Mihael.”

——-

The next day, L visits alone. Mihael’s eyes widen when he realizes it, but it’s too late; the door has already swung shut, and L is blocking the only exit. 

But he pushes the fear down. “What do  _ you  _ want?” He crosses his arms.

L tilts it’s -  _ his  _ \- head. “To talk to you,” he says quietly. He sits down on the floor, back to the door and knees pulled up into his chest again. He’s still not wearing shoes. “Don’t you want to talk to me?”

“ _ No,” _ Mihael spits. “Where’s Mr. Watari?”

“Not here,” L responds, still in that infuriatingly lackluster tone. “It’s just me.”

Silence. Mihael’s jaw twitches.

He cracks a few moments later, “okay,  _ what?!  _ What do you  _ want?! _ ” He takes a step towards L, hands curling into fists. Anger is burning beneath his skin, making his blood boil.

L just blinks at him. “You need to learn how to control that temper,” he says eventually. “Otherwise it’ll get you into a lot of trouble one day.”

Mihael curls his lip at him. “I'll deal with it when it happens,” he says curtly. “I don't need any advice from  _ you.” _

L tilts his head. “Interesting,” he says. “I have never seen such a reaction to me before. Do you just not like people my age, or is there something particularly about me that you dislike?”

It gets under Mihael’s skin, the way L talks as if he isn't human. Mihael wonders if his initial reaction of thinking L was a creature wasn't too far off. Mihael doesn't answer him, only glaring at him further, and he and plants his feet squarely in the ground. He will not give L the satisfaction.

But L just hums, like that had been answer enough, and he stands, suddenly towering over Mihael in a terrifying way. “Very intriguing,” he says, his eyes sweeping over the room as if Mihael wasn't even enough to be looked at while being spoken to. “I look forward to seeing you grow, Mihael Keehl.”

Mihael’s blood burns when L leaves. He still goes to the orphanage, though. Where else could he go?

——-

Mihael learns as he gets older, and while his personal hatred of L never really wanes, he does eventually grow to respect the other. He respects him because L  _ should  _ be respected; L is, truly, the best detective the world has ever seen. The other two kids that are even near Mihael’s level at the orphanage respect L, too, but they're different than Mihael in his eyes.

Because while Nate yearns to be exactly like L and Mail seems content to just wallow in his room playing video games, never even putting to use the incredible intellect Mihael  _ knows  _ he has, Mihael thinks differently.

Mail is a coward for being like that. Mihael doesn't hate him because he's quite possibly Mihael’s only friend, but he hates the way Mail spends his time.

And Nate is even worse. Nate studies L, like Mihael does, but Mihael can see that the only ambition the boy has ever had in his life is to be exactly like L.

But Mihael? Mihael doesn't want to be like L. Mihael wants to  _ surpass  _ L. 

——-

When Mello - not Mihael, he hasn't been Mihael in a  _ long  _ time - finally dies, he feels no fear.

_ For Near,  _ he thinks. It was always about Near. Mello had always known he wasn't the important one; that's probably why he'd hated Near for so long. This was for Near to finally end that bastard  _ Kira  _ once and for all. Mello just hopes Matt had survived the night. The plan only dictated Mello to die; Matt could hypothetically live through it. He hopes he had. Matt didn't deserve to die left, and there was so much more he could offer the world if he survived.

Mello leaves the world spurred on by nothing but hope.

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah! Again, most of this was written a way long time ago; I just thought I'd finish it up tonight. Thank You for reading!


End file.
